Coated fuel pellets with enhanced water and steam oxidation resistance

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a method comprising coating a fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material with a water-resistant layer, the layer being non-reactive with the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material. The coating is applied to a surface of the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material. Also disclosed is a fuel for use in a nuclear reactor.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation-in-part application claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 from prior co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/898,308, filed on Feb. 16, 2018, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/472,659, filed on Mar. 17, 2017. The content of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/898,308 and 62/472,659 are incorporated-by-reference herein in their entireties.

STATEMENT REGARDING GOVERNMENT RIGHTS

This invention was made with government support under Contract No. DE-NE0008222 awarded by the Department of Energy. The U.S. Government has certain rights in this invention.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to fuels for nuclear reactors, and more particularly to methods of improving water resistance of nuclear fuels.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Uranium dioxide (UO₂) is currently the primary uranium compound used in nuclear fuel worldwide. Efforts to enhance the safety and performance of light water reactors is behind research into alternative accident tolerant fuels. Several high density uranium fuels have been considered for use in existing light water reactors. One promising fuel is uranium silicide (U₃Si₂) due to its high uranium density (17% higher than UO₂), high thermal conductivity, and high melting temperature (1665° C.). See K. E. Metzger et al., Model of U₃Si₂ Fuel System Using Bison Fuel Code, Proceedings of ICAPP, Apr. 6-9, 2014, Paper No. 14343, pp. 1-5. However, recent testing has shown that U₃Si₂ may suffer from some situational problems and therefore may require additional features to remedy these potential problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of protecting fissile material from oxidation due to exposure to water or steam is described herein. It has been found while that many nuclear fuels have good water resistance at 300° C. similar to widely used fissile materials such as UO₂, as water temperature increases, the grain boundaries of many nuclear fuels are preferentially attacked by water and steam.

Recent testing indicates that such vulnerable fuel compositions, such as U₃Si₂, suffer excess oxidation at temperatures higher than 360° C. and will be completely oxidized in steam below 600° C. in a short period of time as shown in FIG. 1, a graph showing the results of thermogravitational analysis of U₃Si₂ in the water vapor atmosphere. Thermogravitational (TG) analysis is commonly used to determine selected characteristics of materials that exhibit either mass loss or gain due to, for example, decomposition or oxidation as a function of temperature. Commercially available TG analyzers continuously weigh a sample as it is heated to a target temperature, up to about 2000° C. As the temperature increases, various components of the sample are decomposed or oxidized and the weight percentage of each resulting mass change can be measured. Results are plotted with temperature on the X-axis and total mass change on the Y-axis. Significant changes in mass during heating indicates that the material is no longer thermally stable. With mass change of 16.87%, as shown in FIG. 1, U₃Si₂ completely oxidizes into uranium oxides (UO₂ and U₃O₈). The oxidation of the fission material could lead to significant safety concerns in design basis accidents such as a loss of coolant accident and hypothetical reactivity insertion accidents.

A method to protect fissile material from oxidation, in various aspects, comprises coating the fissile material. Coating U₃Si₂ pellets or protecting the U₃Si₂ grain boundaries, for example, will prevent pellet fragmentation and excess oxidation of the pellets by the coolant following leakage through the cladding barrier onto the fuel during reactor operation and by high temperature steam in design basis accident conditions if a cladding break occurs. To improve the water and steam oxidation resistance of U₃Si₂ or other suitable fissile materials at temperatures higher than 360° C., a water resistant coating is applied to the surface of the material using any suitable coating method. Exemplary coating methods include atomic layer deposition, thermal spray techniques such as plasma arc spray and physical vapor depositions, chemical vapor deposition, electroless plating, and electroplating. The coating materials may be any material that will coat, i.e., adhere to, the surface of the fissile material of choice, not react with the fissile material, have a solubility at least as low as and preferably less than that of UO₂, and be flexible enough to remain substantially in place, not spall from the U₃Si₂, as the fissile material swells in use. To enhance commercial viability, the coating material is preferably easy to apply. In various aspects, a suitable coating material may be selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr, and combinations thereof.

A nuclear fuel material is also described. The material comprises a fissile material, such as U₃Si₂, coated with a water resistant layer. The coating layer, in various aspects, may be selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr, and combinations thereof.

The water resistant coating may lie beneath an integral fuel burnable absorber (IFBA) layer for controlling the core reactivity in nuclear reactor operation. The IFBA layer may be a thin layer of a zirconium compound, such as zirconium diboride (ZrB₂), a boron compound, such as B₂O₃—SiO₂ glass, and combinations of a zirconium compound and a boron compound. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,041, incorporated herein by reference.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure may be better understood by reference to the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is the thermogravimetric (TG) analysis of U₃Si₂ pellets, in which mass gain of U₃Si₂ pellet is measured as a function of temperature at the heating rate of 2.5° C./min. in the water vapor atmosphere.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the cross-section of an exemplary fuel pellet in a fuel rod showing the relative position of the protective coating layer and the fuel burner absorber layer.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary thermal deposition spray process.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary plasma arc process.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include the plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, the articles “a” and “an” are used herein to refer to one or to more than one (i.e., to at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. By way of example, “an element” means one element or more than one element.

Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, top, bottom, left, right, lower, upper, front, back, and variations thereof, shall relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the accompanying drawing and are not limiting upon the claims unless otherwise expressly stated.

In the present application, including the claims, other than where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, values or characteristics are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Thus, numbers may be read as if preceded by the word “about” even though the term “about” may not expressly appear with the number. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, any numerical parameters set forth in the following description may vary depending on the desired properties one seeks to obtain in the compositions and methods according to the present disclosure. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter described in the present description should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

Further, any numerical range recited herein is intended to include all sub-ranges subsumed therein. For example, a range of “1 to 10” is intended to include any and all sub-ranges between (and including) the recited minimum value of 1 and the recited maximum value of 10, that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1 and a maximum value of equal to or less than 10.

A method of forming a water resistant boundary on fissile material for use in a water cooled nuclear reactor comprises coating the fissile material to a desired thickness with a suitable coating material. The fissile material may be any suitable fissile material. U₃Si₂ is an exemplary fissile material for this process, and for the reasons expressed above, is a preferred material in many aspects. Although the coating method described herein may be used with other fissile materials, such as UO₂ and others listed below, for convenience, the fissile material may be referred to as U₃Si₂.

Suitable fissile materials can comprise a uranium-containing ceramic fissile material. The uranium-containing ceramic fissile material can comprise, for example, uranium silicides (e.g., UU₃Si₂, U₃Si₅, U₃Si); uranium nitrides (e.g., UN, U¹⁵N); uranium carbides (e.g., UC); uranium borides (e.g., UB_(x), UB₂, UB₄), where X is an integer (metal borides (e.g., uranium borides) may have a wide variety of metal:boron ratios); uranium phosphides (e.g., UP); uranium sulfides (e.g., US₂); uranium oxides (e.g., UO₂, UCO); or mixtures of any of these.

As a promising candidate for next generation fuel, U₃Si₂ offers: 1. a higher thermal conductivity than UO₂; 2. a higher uranium loading than UO₂; and 3. a melting temperature that allows the fuel to stay solid under light water reactor normal operating and transient conditions. To counter the poor water resistance of U₃Si₂ at higher temperatures (e.g., 360° C. and above), in various aspects, a water resistant coating may be applied to one or both of U₃Si₂ pellets and the U₃Si₂ grain boundaries, which will prevent, or at least substantially slow, the contact of U₃Si₂ with water and therefore improves the water resistance of the fuel pellets if a leak in the fuel cladding occurs.

The coating material in various aspects, should form a robust coating over at least the exposed portions of the fissile material, such as on the pellets and grain boundaries. The term “robust coating”, as used herein, is a coating that has low solubility in coolant, is easy to apply, does not react with the fissile material of choice, and has some flexibility as the pellet swells during irradiation. A “low solubility” as used herein is a relative term and means for purposes of this application that the solubility of the coating material is at least as low as, and in various aspects, less than, the solubility of UO₂ when UO₂ is used as a fissile material.

The coating materials may be any material that will coat, i.e., adhere to, the surface of the fissile material of choice and not react with the fissile material. As stated, the coating material in various aspects, has a solubility at least as good as, and preferably less than, that of UO₂. Solubility values for UO₂ are available in the literature.

In various aspects, the coating material is flexible enough to remain substantially in place as the fissile material swells in use. Those skilled in the art understand that fissile material swells in use because as fission occurs, the original atom forms two atoms of less dense material than the original atom. In addition, gas may be trapped at the grain boundaries which will cause more swelling. Those skilled in the art can calculate roughly the degree of swelling, but because of the trapped gas, swelling calculations in advance of use in a reactor may not be precise. The coating should be sufficiently flexible to avoid delamination as the fissile material swells. Some deviation, however, may be tolerated allowing a crack or delaminated portion in the coating upon swelling of the fissile material. In such instances, the coating still functions to reduce the exposure of the fissile material to the water or steam, thereby slowing oxidation and contributing to the useful life of the fissile material. Reducing the rate of oxidation of the fissile material in the event of exposure to water or steam will allow time for corrective action in the event of a beyond design basis accident.

In various aspects, a suitable coating material may be selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Cr, Ni, and combinations thereof. Coating of the U₃Si₂ grains can be accomplished by adding FeCrAl, CrAl, or Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass solids to the U₃Si₂ powder that melt at temperatures less than U₃Si₂ (1662° C.) but at the sintering temperature of the U₃Si₂ pellets (1200 to 1600° C.). In various aspects, the coating may be formed by deposition of particles selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr, and combinations thereof. Each of these materials has better water resistance than U₃Si₂. A coating can be applied to each U₃Si₂ pellet's circumferential, or side, surface and optionally applied to its top and bottom surfaces. Fuel pellets may be any shape and reference to circumferences or other surface contours are for convenience and are not limiting. In use, fuel pellets are typically in the form of generally cylindrical pellets stacked on end to form a generally cylindrical column which is held against the end plug of a fuel rod by means of a spring at the top end of the stack of pellets in the rod positioned between the top pellet and the top end plug of the fuel rod. In this configuration, the tops and bottoms of the pellets are not exposed to any water that might leak into the fuel rod. Any exposure to oxidizing fluids, if at all, will be minimal.

To enhance commercial viability, the coating material is preferably easy to apply. The coating step used in the method may be any suitable coating process. For example, coating may be done by a physical vapor deposition process or by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The coating process may, for example, be a thermal spray process, such as a hot or cold spray process or a plasma arc spray process.

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a thin film deposition method in which a film is grown on a substrate by exposing its surface to alternate gaseous species. ALD is based on the sequential use of a gas phase chemical process. The majority of ALD reactions use two chemicals, called precursors. These precursors react with the surface of a material one at a time in a sequential, self-limiting, manner, so that the reaction terminates once all the reactive sites on the surface are consumed. Consequently, the maximum amount of material deposited on the surface after a single exposure to all of the precursors (a so-called ALD cycle) is determined by the nature of the precursor-surface interaction. Through the repeated exposure to separate precursors, a thin film is slowly deposited. By varying the number of cycles it is possible to grow materials uniformly and with high precision on arbitrarily complex and large substrates. In contrast to chemical vapor deposition, the precursors are never present simultaneously in the deposition chamber, but they are inserted as a series of sequential, non-overlapping pulses. In ALD, the water resistant coating would be grown on the U₃Si₂ pellet surface by exposing the U₃Si₂ pellet to gaseous precursors of the desired coating material.

The precursors chosen for the deposition also contain a carrier gas. The temperature used in the deposition may range from 25° C. to 600° C., preferably from 200° C. to 450° C., and more preferably from 265° C. to 350° C., or other temperatures with any of the foregoing ranges. Temperatures greater than 600° C. should be avoided.

Alternatively, deposition of the coating may be by sputtering or chemical vapor deposition. In a typical chemical vapor deposition process, the substrate is exposed to one or more reactive precursors, which react and/or decompose on the substrate surface to produce the desired deposit. Frequently, by-products are also produced, which are removed by gas flow through a reaction chamber.

A suitable thermal deposition method, in various aspects, includes either a hot spray or cold spray methods. In a hot thermal spray process, the coating feedstock material is melted by a heat source or by plasma created by a high frequency arc between an anode and a tungsten cathode (i.e. plasma arc spray). This softened liquid or molten material is then carried by process gas and would be sprayed onto the surface U₃Si₂ pellets. On the U₃Si₂ pellet surface, this material solidifies and forms a solid layer.

A cold spray method may proceed by delivering a carrier gas to a heater where the carrier gas is heated to a temperature sufficient to maintain the gas at a desired temperature, for example, from 100° C. to 1200° C., after expansion of the gas as it passes through the nozzle. In various aspects, the carrier gas may be pre-heated to a temperature between 200° C. and 1200° C., with a pressure, for example, of 5.0 MPa. In certain aspects, the carrier gas may be pre-heated to a temperature between 200° C. and 1000° C., or in certain aspects, 300° C. and 900° C. and in other aspects, between 500° C. and 800° C. The temperature will depend on the Joule-Thomson cooling coefficient of the particular gas used as the carrier. Whether or not a gas cools upon expansion or compression when subjected to pressure changes depends on the value of its Joule-Thomson coefficient. For positive Joule-Thomson coefficients, the carrier gas cools and must be preheated to prevent excessive cooling which can affect the performance of the cold spray process. Those skilled in the art can determine the degree of heating using well known calculations to prevent excessive cooling. See, for example, for N₂ as a carrier gas, if the inlet temperature is 130° C., the Joule-Thomson coefficient is 0.1° C./bar. For the gas to impact the tube at 130° C. if its initial pressure is 10 bar (˜146.9 psia) and the final pressure is 1 bar (˜14.69 psia), then the gas needs to be preheated to about 9 bar*0.1° C./bar or about 0.9 C to about 130.9° C.

For example, the temperature for helium gas as the carrier is preferably 450° C. at a pressure of 3.0 to 4.0 MPa, and the temperature for nitrogen as the carrier may be 1100° C. at a pressure of 5.0 MPa, but may also be 600° C.-800° C. at a pressure of 3.0 to 4.0 MPa. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the temperature and pressure variables may change depending on the type of the equipment used and that equipment can be modified to adjust the temperature, pressure and volume parameters.

Suitable carrier gases are those that are inert or are not reactive, and those that particularly will not react with the particles or the substrate. Exemplary carrier gases include nitrogen (N₂), hydrogen (H₂), argon (Ar), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and helium (He).

There is considerable flexibility in regard to the selected carrier gases. Mixtures of gases may be used. Selection is driven by both physics and economics. For example, lower molecular weight gases provide higher velocities, but the highest velocities should be avoided as they could lead to a rebound of particles and therefore diminish the number of deposited particles.

The cold spray process relies on the controlled expansion of the heated carrier gas to propel the particles onto the substrate. The particles impact the substrate or a previous deposited layer and undergo plastic deformation through adiabatic shear. Subsequent particle impacts build up to form the coating. The particles may also be warmed to temperatures one-third to one-half the melting point of powder expressed in degrees Kelvin before entering the flowing carrier gas in order to promote deformation. The nozzle is rastered (i.e., sprayed in a pattern in which an area is sprayed from side to side in lines from top to bottom) across the area to be coated or where material buildup is needed.

Referring to FIG. 3, a thermal spray assembly 10 is shown. Assembly 10 includes a heater 12, a powder or particle hopper 14, a gun 16, nozzle 18 and delivery conduits 34, 26, 32 and 28. High pressure gas enters conduit 34 for delivery to heater 12, where heating occurs quickly; substantially instantaneously. When heated to the desired temperature, the gas is directed through conduit 26 to gun 16. Particles held in hopper 14 are released and directed to gun 16 through conduit 28 where they are forced through nozzle 18 towards the substrate 22 by the pressurized gas jet 20. The sprayed particles 36 are deposited onto substrate 22 to form a coating comprised of particles 24. This process generally describes both cold spray and hot spray assemblies. The hot spray process occurs at a temperature hot enough to soften or melt the particles being deposited.

An alternative coating method, in various aspects, includes a plasma arc spray process, such as that shown in FIG. 4. A plasma torch 40 generates a hot gas jet 50. A typical plasma torch 40 includes a gas port 56, a cathode 44, an anode 46, and a water cooled nozzle 42, all surrounded by an insulator 48 in a housing 68. A high frequency arc is ignited between the electrodes, i.e., between the anode 46 and a tungsten cathode 44. A carrier gas flowing through the port 56 between the electrodes 44/46 is ionized to form a plasma plume. The carrier gas may be helium (He) hydrogen (H₂), nitrogen (N₂), or any combination thereof. The jet 50 is produced by an electric arc that heats the gas as the pressurized gas expands through nozzle 42. The heated gas forms an arc plasma core which operates, for example, at 12,000° C. to 16,000° C. The gases expand as a jet 50 through the water cooled nozzle 42. Powders, or particles, are injected through ports 52 into the hot jet 50 where they are softened or melted, and forced onto the substrate 60 to form a coating 54. The rate of spray may be, for example, from 2 to 10 kg/hour at a particle velocity of about 450 m/s or less. The coating thickness achieved with thermal sprays, such as plasma arc sprays, varies depending on the material sprayed, but can range, for example, from 0.005 to 5 mm. A typical thickness for the coatings described herein may be from 5 to 1000 microns, and in various aspects, the thickness of the coating may be from 10 to 100 microns.

The thickness of the water-resistant coating varies from 10 microns to 200 microns for plasma arc spray applied coatings, and 1 micron to 20 microns for physical vapor deposited coatings and from 0.5 microns to 2 microns for ALD. The coating materials include ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, and SiC, and combinations thereof. U₃Si₂ has less cracking compared to UO₂ in operation due to a much higher thermal conductivity. Even if cracking is developed, the coating can still cover substantial surface area of U₃Si₂ pellet to prevent it from excess oxidation.

The water-resistant coating may also be applied via an electroless plating coating technique. The electroless plating coating technique can comprise submerging the object to be coated (e.g., the substrate, a fissile material) in a chemical bath comprising metal cations. The metal cations can be chemically reduced to form a metallic coating on the substrate. The reduction may be accomplished via an autocatalytic reaction between the metal cations and a reducing agent such as hypophosphite and/or borohydride. The chemical bath may also comprise one or more of the following: a complexing agent (to increase phosphate solubility and/or to slow the reaction), a stabilizer, (to slow the reduction by co-depositing with the reduced metal), a buffer, (to maintain the acidity of the bath), a brightener (to improve the surface finish), a surfactant, (to keep the deposited layer hydrophilic in order to reduce pitting and staining), and an accelerator (to counteract the reduction of plating rate caused by complexing agents). The surface of the substrate may be activated prior to the electroless plating process in order to ensure that the autocatalytic reduction process can proceed.

When the electroless plating coating technique is employed, the water-resistant coating can comprise metallic nickel (Ni) and/or metallic chromium (Cr). Thus, the metal cations in the chemical bath may comprise one or both of Ni cations or Cr cations. The electroless plating coating technique can be used to apply a water-resistant coating onto any fissile material of the present disclosure.

A water-resistant coating applied to a fissile material of the present disclosure via an electroless plating coating technique can comprise a thickness of 5 microns to 20 microns such as, for example, 5 microns to 15 microns, 5 microns to 10 microns, 10 microns to 20 microns, 10 microns to 15 microns, or 15 micron to 20 microns. Referring to FIG. 2, described below, the water-resistant coating 74 may also comprise Ni and/or Cr as described above.

The water-resistant coating may also be applied via an electroplating coating technique. The electroplating coating technique can comprise creating a water-resistant metal coating on the object to be coated (e.g., the substrate, a fissile material) via the reduction of metal cations by a direct electric current. The metal cations can be reduced to form a metallic coating on the substrate. The substrate can act as the cathode of an electrolytic cell, and the anode can comprise the metal to be applied as a coating and/or an inert conductive material. An electrolyte solution can be in contact with the substrate and can comprise a salt solution comprising metal cations to be reduced and coated onto the substrate. The substrate can be electrically conductive.

When the electroplating coating technique is employed, the water-resistant coating can comprise metallic nickel (Ni) and/or metallic chromium (Cr). Thus, the metal cations in the electrolyte solution may comprise one or both of Ni cations or Cr cations. The electroplating coating technique can be used to apply a water-resistant coating onto any fissile material of the present disclosure. The fissile material can comprise an electrically conductive fissile material.

A water-resistant coating applied to a fissile material of the present disclosure via an electroless plating coating technique can comprise a thickness of 1 micron to 20 microns such as, for example, 1 micron to 5 microns, 2 microns to 20 microns, 3 microns to 20 microns, 4 microns to 20 microns, 5 microns to 20 microns, 5 microns to 15 microns, 5 microns to 10 microns, 10 microns to 20 microns, 10 microns to 15 microns, or 15 micron to 20 microns. Referring to FIG. 2, described below, the water-resistant coating 74 may also comprise Ni and/or Cr as described above.

In addition, burnable absorbers can also be coated by using either an ALD process or a thermal spray process on the circumferential surface of the coated U₃Si₂ pellets. The integral fuel burnable absorber may be a thin layer of a zirconium compound, such as zirconium diboride (ZrB₂), a boron compound, such as B₂O₃—SiO₂ glass, and combinations of a zirconium compound and a boron compound coated on the fuel pellets following application of the water resistant coating layer. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,041, incorporated herein by reference.

Burnable absorbers are a type of burnable poison used to control the core reactivity in nuclear reactor operation. These burnable absorbers provide temporary reactivity control primarily effective during the beginning of a reactor cycle and compensates for the excess reactivity present early in cycle due to the loading of fresh fuel. The layer of burnable absorber material is applied after the water resistant layer is applied, so that it overlays the water resistant coating layer.

Oxidation of U₃Si₂ is a potential safety concern and one of the key issues for implementation of U₃Si₂ fuel in light water reactors. Coating on U₃Si₂ will slow down oxidation especially at higher steam temperatures, and is one of the economic methods to solve the potential safety concerns.

The method as described herein produces coated fissile material, such as a coated fuel pellet shown in FIG. 2. A plurality of pellets are typically stacked in a fuel rod 70. The fissile material 72 in various aspects comprises U₃Si₂ coated with a water resistant layer 74 selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr, and combinations thereof. The fuel pellet may also comprise an overlayer 76 of a burnable absorber material, such as zirconium diboride (ZrB₂), a boron compound, such as B₂O₃—SiO₂ glass, and combinations of a zirconium compound and a boron compound. There may be a gap 78 filled with a gas, such as helium, between the overlayer 76 and the fuel cladding 80. The exterior of the cladding 80 is surrounded by a coolant 82, typically water in a water cooled reactor.

Various aspects of the subject matter described herein are set out in the following examples.

Example 1—A method comprising: coating a fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material with a water-resistant layer, the layer being non-reactive with the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material, wherein the coating is applied to a surface of the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material.

Example 2—The method recited in Example 1, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises a uranium silicide, a uranium nitride, a uranium carbide, a uranium boride, a uranium phosphide, a uranium sulfides, a uranium oxide, or combinations thereof.

Example 3—The method recited in Example 1 or 2, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises U₃Si₂, U₃Si₅, U₃Si, UN, U¹⁵N, UC, UB₂, UB₄, UP, US₂, UO₂, UCO, or combinations thereof.

Example 4—The method recited in any of Examples 1-3, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material is in the form of a pellet.

Example 5—The method recited in any of Examples 1-4, wherein the water resistant layer is selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr, and combinations thereof.

Example 6—The method recited in any of Examples 1-5, wherein the coating is applied by atomic layer deposition.

Example 7—The method recited in any of Examples 1-5, wherein the coating is applied by an electroless plating coating technique.

Example 8—The method recited in any of Examples 1-5, wherein the coating is applied by a thermal spray process.

Example 9—The method recited in Example 8, wherein the thermal spray process is physical vapor deposition.

Example 10—The method recited in any of Examples 1-5, wherein the coating is applied by an electroplating coating technique, and wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material is electrically conductive.

Example 11—The method recited in Example 8, wherein the thermal spray process is a plasma arc spray.

Example 12—The method recited in Example 11, wherein the thickness of the coating is from 1 micron to 200 microns.

Example 13—The method recited in Example 8, wherein the thermal spray process is a cold spray process.

Example 14—The method recited in Example 8, wherein the thermal spray process is a hot spray process.

Example 15—The method recited in any of Examples 1-14, further comprising applying a layer of burnable absorbers over the water resistant layer.

Example 16—The method recited in Example 15, wherein the burnable absorbers are selected from the group consisting of ZrB₂, B₂O₃—SiO₂ glass, and combinations thereof.

Example 17—A fuel for use in a nuclear reactor comprising: a fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material coated with a water-resistant layer, wherein the coating is applied to a surface of the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material.

Example 18—The fuel recited in Example 17, wherein the water-resistant layer is selected from the group consisting ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO₂, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr and combinations thereof.

Example 19—The fuel recited in any of Examples 17-18, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises a uranium silicide, a uranium nitride, a uranium carbide, a uranium boride, a uranium phosphide, a uranium sulfides, a uranium oxide, or combinations thereof.

Example 20—The fuel recited in any of Examples 17-19, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises U₃Si₂, U₃Si₅, U₃Si, UN, U¹⁵N, UC, UB₂, UB₄, UP, US₂, UO₂, UCO, or combinations thereof.

Example 21—The fuel recited in any of Examples 17-20, further comprising an integral fuel burnable absorber layer over the water resistant layer for controlling the core reactivity in nuclear reactor operation.

Example 22—The fuel recited in Example 21, wherein the absorber layer is selected from the group consisting of ZrB₂, B₂O₃—SiO₂ glass, and combinations thereof.

The present invention has been described in accordance with several examples, which are intended to be illustrative in all aspects rather than restrictive. Thus, the present invention is capable of many variations in detailed implementation, which may be derived from the description contained herein by a person of ordinary skill in the art.

All patents, patent applications, publications, or other disclosure material mentioned herein, are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if each individual reference was expressly incorporated by reference respectively. All references, and any material, or portion thereof, that are said to be incorporated by reference herein are incorporated herein only to the extent that the incorporated material does not conflict with existing definitions, statements, or other disclosure material set forth in this disclosure. As such, and to the extent necessary, the disclosure as set forth herein supersedes any conflicting material incorporated herein by reference and the disclosure expressly set forth in the present application controls.

The present invention has been described with reference to various exemplary and illustrative embodiments. The embodiments described herein are understood as providing illustrative features of varying detail of various embodiments of the disclosed invention; and therefore, unless otherwise specified, it is to be understood that, to the extent possible, one or more features, elements, components, constituents, ingredients, structures, modules, and/or aspects of the disclosed embodiments may be combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged with or relative to one or more other features, elements, components, constituents, ingredients, structures, modules, and/or aspects of the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosed invention. Accordingly, it will be recognized by persons having ordinary skill in the art that various substitutions, modifications or combinations of any of the exemplary embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, persons skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the various embodiments of the invention described herein upon review of this specification. Thus, the invention is not limited by the description of the various embodiments, but rather by the claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: coating a fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material with a water-resistant layer, the layer being non-reactive with the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material, wherein the coating is adhered to a surface of the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material by atomic layer deposition, a thermal spray technique, chemical vapor deposition, electroless plating, electroplating, or a combination thereof.
 2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises a uranium silicide, a uranium nitride, a uranium carbide, a uranium boride, a uranium phosphide, a uranium sulfide, a uranium oxide, or a combination thereof.
 3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises U₃Si₂, U₃Si₅, U₃Si, UN, U¹⁵N, UC, UB₂, UB₄, UP, US₂, UO₂, UCO, or a combination thereof.
 4. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material is in the form of a pellet.
 5. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the water resistant layer is selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO2, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, SiC, Ni, Cr, and combinations thereof.
 6. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the coating is applied by atomic layer deposition.
 7. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the coating is applied by an electroless plating coating technique.
 8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the coating is applied by a thermal spray process.
 9. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the thermal spray process is physical vapor deposition.
 10. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the coating is applied by an electroplating coating technique, and wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material is electrically conductive.
 11. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the thermal spray process is a plasma arc spray.
 12. The method recited in claim 11, wherein the thickness of the coating is from 1 micron to 200 microns.
 13. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the thermal spray process is a cold spray process.
 14. The method recited in claim 8, wherein the thermal spray process is a hot spray process.
 15. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising applying a layer of burnable absorbers over the water resistant layer.
 16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the burnable absorbers are selected from the group consisting of ZrB₂, B₂O₃—SiO₂ glass, and combinations thereof.
 17. A fuel for use in a nuclear reactor comprising: a fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material coated with a water-resistant layer, wherein the coating is adhered to a surface of the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material by atomic layer deposition, a thermal spray technique, chemical vapor deposition, electroless plating, electroplating, or a combination thereof.
 18. The fuel recited in claim 17, wherein the water resistant layer is selected from the group consisting of ZrSiO₄, FeCrAl, Cr, Zr, Al—Cr, CrAl, ZrO2, CeO₂, TiO₂, SiO₂, UO₂, ZrB₂, Na₂O—B₂O₃—SiO₂—Al₂O₃ glass, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, carbon, and SiC, and combinations thereof.
 19. The fuel recited in claim 17, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises U₃Si₂, U₃Si₅, U₃Si, UN, U¹⁵N, UC, UB₂, UB₄, UP, US₂, UO₂, UCO, or a combination thereof.
 20. The fuel recited in claim 17, wherein the fissile, uranium-containing ceramic material comprises a uranium silicide, a uranium nitride, a uranium carbide, a uranium boride, a uranium phosphide, a uranium sulfide, a uranium oxide, or combinations thereof.
 21. The fuel recited in claim 17, further comprising an integral fuel burnable absorber layer over the water resistant layer for controlling the core reactivity in nuclear reactor operation.
 22. The fuel recited in claim 21, wherein the absorber layer is selected from the group consisting of ZrB₂, B₂Q₃-SiO₂ glass, and combinations thereof. 